Vayigash
As he (Joseph) sent
his brothers off on their way (back to
45:24
(Do not fear the quarrels of
others) Do not fear by the way…since they were carrying corn and bread and
sustenance and the best of Egypt in the days of the famine, they might fear
lest robbers attack them while they traveled on their journey to Canaan, and
the more so when they return to Egypt with all their possessions, and thus they
will not hasten the matter. Therefore he
told them that they should go quickly and hurry to come there…they should have
no fear at all on the way as his (Joseph’s) name is upon them.
Ramban (13th Century)
Joseph urges his brethren to make
haste, and return from
Hillel Silverman (Contemporary)
We understand this warning, in its
proper context, to mean that he was afraid that they might start reproaching
each other for what had happened, and he warned them against this. But some Torah commentators see it as a
warning of a different kind, with Joseph cautioning his brothers not to quarrel
with other people they might meet on the way.
Now that they are returning to Canaan as the brothers of Joseph the
powerful ruler of
Pinchas Peli (20th
Century)
In contrast to those who see their
failures as a direct result of another’s hate, the message of Joseph’s life is
that he learns to read events that evoke God in a new and powerful way. Until this point, God’s contact with the
patriarchs had been direct. God’s will
is close to their hearts, never further away than an accommodating angel. But we never read of Joseph having direct
contact with God, one on one, not even in a dream. What Joseph opens up is a revolutionary step
in our understanding of God; his presence in the world does not hit us on the
head with a symphonic vision, but we can discern Him and His divine message in
the events of our own lives, even, perhaps, especially, in our failures.
Shlomo Riskin (Contemporary)